Beach house dreaming -- where would you buy?
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Anonymous
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Thought experiment for which we'd appreciate any views. Assume you wanted to buy a vacation home on or near a beach, with a budget of around $1.5mm +/-. Considering the following criteria, where would you look?
1. Bang for buck: Ideally, for about 1.5mm, would find a reasonably nice house on/near a beautiful beach. Large enough that we could invite friends. 2. Convenience to DC: Ideally no more than 8 to 12 hours door-to-door travel time from DC, thus places with direct flights at top of the list. 3. Beauty/nature: Looking for truly beautiful setting, if can be found. 4. Year round: Would like something that could be used across winter holidays, etc. 5. Interesting amenities: Not required, but would be nice if reasonably near interesting restaurants, etc. Where, if anywhere, might you look to try to hit those criteria? Thank you in advance! |
Anonymous
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Your budget gets you a 2 (maybe 3) bedroom oceanfront condo in the local beaches (Bethany, DE and OCMD).
You could afford something in Bethany West. If you want new construction, try Ocean View or Millville, DE. |
Anonymous
| Not Ocean City (MD), that place is Glen Burnie with sand. Try the VA beach area instead. Otherwise, maybe look into Ocean County, NJ. |
Anonymous
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We had a similar list with lower budget. We purchased in South Carolina. You may have to go with a condo to fit your budget. There are 4 bedroom 4 bath oceanfront condos in Hilton Head.
We started our search for a house, but they were at least a block from the beach. I convinced DH to get a condo. It's less than 100 steps to the beach, usually above 60 degrees when we go for Christmas, and about 8 hours to drive. |
Anonymous
Not really. Go north OC and mid-town you'll get a better price and nice beaches. |
Anonymous
Yep, this. So much OC hate from those who haven’t been there in 30 years. Anything north of the 90 bridge. We embrace the quirkiness of OC, plus it has better dining, bigger beaches, and absolutely killers sunsets over the bay. Rehoboth and Bethany can’t compete. |
Anonymous
Anonymous
Don’t disparage Glen Burnie then recommend Oceantucky. - posting from Monmouth County |
Anonymous
| Your budget would go far in Wildwood Crest. |
Anonymous
Real estate taxes will be much higher though. |
Anonymous
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https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2-48th-St-UNIT-705-Ocean-City-MD-21842/87865086_zpid/
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/13423-Madison-Ave-Ocean-City-MD-21842/37736082_zpid/ https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/42-Sunset-Island-Dr-42AY1-Ocean-City-MD-21842/68198069_zpid/ ^^ for this I’d buy this plus a 2 br condo on beach. Young people can stay at the condo. Like this but not this https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/6803-Atlantic-Ave-UNIT-3G-Ocean-City-MD-21842/37741853_zpid/ https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/12960-E-Hopetown-Ln-A3-Ocean-City-MD-21842/67869165_zpid/ |
Anonymous
| I’d be reluctant to buy a beachfront SFH for any price. If you’ve never been through the maintenance, stay in blissful ignorance. Even if your budget is unlimited it will be a PITA. The presence of reliable estate managers matters more than restaurants imo. A well run condo is more manageable. |
Anonymous
| Brunswick County, NC |
Anonymous
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You can get a 2 or 3 bedroom oceanfront condo at Sea Colony in Bethany, and you could rent it for $5k/week during high season.
I remember when you could buy a 2 bdrm condo for $300k. Woulda coulda shoulda. |
Anonymous
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Virginia Beach Sandbridge
Example https://redf.in/VOVQ7s |